A new freighter operator will grace the runway at Changi Airport to begin scheduled freighter services between Singapore and Australia.
Tasman Cargo Airlines, which provides cargo services on behalf of DHL Express, will operate five weekly services on a route plying Melbourne, Darwin and Singapore and back, using its B767-300F aircraft.
The move follows the integrator’s recent network expansion with AeroLogic, AirBridgeCargo and Kalitta Air, and the new service is expected to facilitate increasing e-commerce shipments across DHL’s global and Southwest Pacific network through its South Asia hub at Changi Airfreight Centre in Singapore.
The airline becomes the 10th airline partner of the express operator—and the first Australia-based freighter operator—at Changi Airport.
Also read: Changi welcomes SpiceJet’s scheduled cargo service
Online shopping in Australia grew more than 50 percent last year, according to a recent industry survey, and Changi Airport said the land down under was its fourth largest air cargo market, with airfreight throughput reaching over 134,000 tonnes for the year.
Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s managing director of air hub development, said the new service by Tasman Cargo will further strengthen Singapore’s position as the leading air cargo gateway for Australia, particularly for transporting essential supplies and e-commerce parcels, which have increased in demand during the pandemic.
In February this year, the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines to Australia was successfully shipped from Europe through the Changi air hub, followed by subsequent shipments.
“The facility at Changi Airfreight Centre serves as an important logistics hub and conduit for DHL’s Southwest Pacific customers looking to expand their reach to the rest of Asia Pacific, the United States and Europe,” the company added.
Right now there are over 100 weekly flights mounted by DHL’s airline partners through Changi Airport, and the addition of Tasman Cargo will add much-needed airfreight capacity between both countries.
Aside from Singapore Airlines and Kalitta Air’s scheduled freighter services to Australia, Asia Pacific carriers like Qantas, Scoot and Sri Lankan Airlines have operated cargo-only passenger flights between Singapore and Australia.
For the first four months of 2021, Changi Airport handled 582,000 tonnes of airfreight throughput. It is currently connected to over 80 cities, with more than 940 cargo flights each week.
